NPC keeps close vigil on Japan's nuclear crisis

Nuclear Power Corporation (NPC), which operates 20 nuclear plants of 4,700 megawatts, has deputed a senior engineer at the Tokyo centre of the World Association of Nuclear Operators (WANO) to keep itself updated on the nuclear disaster in Japan.

Senior engineer Ashok Ganeshan is gathering details on an hourly basis and sending them to the Atomic Energy Commission (AEC) and NPC. Based on those updates, NPC is reviewing the safety and security applications at the 20 nuclear plants in the country.

“NPC has deputed Ganeshan who is working quite hard to interact with his counterparts there and collect information from the Japan Atomic Industrial Forum and the Tokyo Electric Power Company, which operates Fukushima plant. NPC, which operates boiling water reactors, similar to the reactors affected at the Fukushima plant, will provide necessary assistance in its restoration,” NPC Chairman and Managing Director S K Jain told Business Standard. India, an active member of the WANO, is also on its governing board, according to him.

An NPC official said the International Atomic Energy Agency had informed that the event at the Fukushima plant was classified as Level 4 “accident with low consequences”.

“India will certainly provide necessary assistance under the convention on assistance, convention on early notification of a nuclear accident. Besides, Japan is also signatory to the convention on nuclear safety. NPC is equipped to provide expertise in the restoration of reactors at the Fukushima plant,” the official said.

NPC said nuclear power plants in India were licensed by the Atomic Energy Regulatory Board (AERB) only if they met stipulated safety and security requirements. There is a mechanism for continuous and periodic safety review of nuclear plants by AERB.

“Any new developments worldwide are taken into account during these pre-audit reviews. Lessons learnt from the Japan experience will be thoroughly considered in the safety of nuclear plants in India,” the official said.